B”H

The Tenets of Our Faiths

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, of blessed memory, the first
Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of the new settlement of the Land of Israel,
was a spiritual giant. He is almost universally considered to have been one of the greatest Jewish mystics not only of the last century, but of all time. He wrote: "The Book is the Book, but it is the heart that does the interpreting."

To be a Jew is a spiritual test. Now every Jew knows that and it is a well-worn canard to say so. I do not intend the statement in the way most Jewish people do. I do not mean that the test is to perform the mitzvoth according to our basic understanding of what they mean no matter how trying the circumstances. When I say that to be a Jew is a spiritual test I mean that we are being tested to see how we will react when we are confronted with a Text that appears to adjure us to perform mitzvot that challenge our innate sense of loving-kindness, cause us a sense of superiority and chosenness, are unintelligible, are isolating, etc.

How do we react when the tenets of our faith tell us to remain in a state of isolation from other Peoples, so that we do not become "defiled" by others and their ways, to remain a People separate from every other People in creation, complacent in
our "chosenness"; when our hearts tell us that all of Humankind are a brotherhood and we yearn to reach out to them, to be a part of them?

How do we react when the tenets of our faith tell us that our way is the one and only correct way, that every other way is folly, or at the very least misguided ignorance, and that it is our religious duty to convince other Peoples by any and all means of the truth of our way, for their own good; while our heart tells us that diversity is the way of creation and every being has the right to self-definition and self-determination and that everyone will find their own way to Ultimate Truth?

How do we react when the tenets of our faith teach us that the way to God is to sit in imperturbable silence, rapt in the bliss of meditating or learning the holy Writ of our faith, unmoving, not stirring from our places, no matter what our senses tell us; when our hearts go out to the indigent and suffering around us, and we yearn with all our being to act in the created world in order to alleviate their distress?

How do we react when the tenets of our faith tell us that in order to prove our strength and resolution to our way and preserve our ancient traditions, as handed down to us from time immemorial, we must inflict extreme pain on our bodies in religious ceremonies; while our hearts tell us that the body is as sacred as the Soul and that to harm the body is to fly in the face of the sacredness of nature?

There are many who because of these apparent "contradictions" in established religions decide upon one of two ways to resolve the problem: they choose to adhere to the tenets of their faiths silencing their hearts, or they leave the religion they were born
into, some going so far as to disavow or even execrating their heritage. Some take a third way: they adopt another religion, only to find that their new religion presents them with as many quandaries as did their own.

Know that God has placed these apparent "contradictions" in every religion. They are the planting of God's hands so that your Soul may grow. You are not meant either to betray the People and tradition you were born into, or to unthinkingly accept the tenets of your faith that your heart tells you need examining. In the first case you betray your People, in the second you betray yourself. Both of these responses are a cutting yourself off from that which God wants for you.

Those who leave their religion are demonstrating not only their complete lack of faith, but are also demonstrating arrogance and disrespect toward their elders. Could it possibly be that their own singular understanding is greater than the collective wisdom of the many in so many generations who held their faith dear, very dear? If one has even a shred of respect for those who have come before him/her they do not abandon the way of their forefathers and foremothers.

One must be true to one's heart. God has planted many tenets that are anathema to the sensitive heart in each religion. Why? It is so that you will question - not question the truth of the precept, but question your own understanding of it. If one comes to God with an honest and humble prayer and says: "I respect what I see written here, but my heart tells me otherwise. How shall I proceed? How shall I act? Have I understood what is taught? Surely I have not seen to the depth of Your wisdom. What do You desire of me?" that person will have fulfilled God's true Will in planting the tenet in the faith - that person will have entered a dialogue with God. This is God's true desire - to teach you the depths of your faith directly, so they you may see. Such a one who prays this way will be blessed with vision heretofore unknown to him/her. They will see ways of understanding and interpreting the tenets of their faith that *resolve* that which s/he thought were contradictions, precepts which limit the freedom of the Soul and harsh commandments. S/he will come to see the righteousness and compassion that exists in the seemingly harsh precepts with clear eyes, in a way that is compatible with all of God's creation. The tradition of their People will not be contradicted or contravened in any way. The one who entered into a dialog with God will understand them with ever-increasing depth as God personally takes them by the hand through eternity.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel